Robin Hood
by KatInTheHat-007
Summary: What happens when a frustrated Hermione Granger comes face to face with her childhood crush? What happens when this crush happens to be the root of all her problems... But also the solution? Rated M for later chapters


**Hope you guys enjoy! -Kat**

* * *

"Honestly, Hermione, what's been your problem lately?" An exasperated Ron asked, struggling to keep up with her fast pace.

All that could be heard was the click-clack of her high heels on the black marble floors in the Ministry.

"You don't even talk to me anymore!"

Click-clack.

"Bloody hell, I don't care anymore..." He mumbled as he stopped abruptly and turned around. "Have fun wallowing in your troubles alone!" Ron yelled as he stormed off in the opposite direction.

Hermione let out a long, drawn out sigh. He didn't understand. No one did. And his sharp temper didn't help either. Everyone saw her role in the Ministry to be pointless, including Ron. Why does he even pretend to care? She thought angrily. Though she knew the answer, of course... Why couldn't he move on?

Her job, being the Head of the Department of Cruel Treatments, was the biggest joke in the whole wizarding world, save a few support groups and wizard hippies who actually shared her desire to help those in need.

She dealt with reports of house-elf cruelty, hippogriff mistreatments, griffin casualties... Unfortunately, the list goes on.

The fact that she was feeling highly under appreciated was starting to grate at her nerves. _If I keep this up, I won't have any friends left! _She thought frustratedly.

Now why was the Brightest Witch of Her Age spending her time in the most lowly of departments in the Ministry?

She founded the damn thing, expecting a great deal of support from the wizarding world and at the _very _least her best friends! But alas, both of those wishes never came true.

Harry and Ron were both Aurors, and the top ones at that. They didn't have time for her poor excuse of a department.

_But they still had time to see every Quidditch match the Chudley Cannons played! _A voice added in her head. Maybe she was going bonkers...

Her current position in the most powerful place on earth should make her happy, but as all good students know, satisfaction is a myth.

Hermione trudged though the halls of the Ministry until she reached an elevator. "Hello Phil." She said meekly to the elevator operator.

"Hello Ms. Granger. Going southeast, I presume?"

"Yes, Phil." Phil promptly pushed the 'southeast' button along with the floor with her office on it.

"How have you been today, Ms. Granger?"

"It's barely even 7:00 in the morning Phil, I hardly have an opinion on the day seeing that it hasn't even started yet." She snapped, while fixing her hair.

"Point taken," replied Phil. She never fazed him with her outbursts. The elevator jerked and they were on their way, and she was making frantic grabs for the handlebars.

The elevator door wheezed open, and she stepped out.

"I hope your day turns out to be glorious Ms. Granger," Phil called out to her cheerily as she walked away. She waved her hand in response.

When she first started working in the Ministry, she loved her morning chats with Phil, but that was two long and tiring years ago.

Hermione proceeded towards her office and muttered a spell to unlock the office door. Being the Head of any department in the Ministry earns you an office to yourself, along with windows (magically, of course, the Ministry wasn't daft!) and even leather furnishings. Hermione's office was spacious and cool, because she always left her windows open to a seen of Tuscany in the spring time.

She breathed in the sent of her office. Is it strange that she enjoys her office more than her apartment? Perhaps.

Her desk was very large in order to hold the copious amounts of paper constantly appearing-literally, appearing-onto her desk. Across from her desk in the far wall was a fireplace, that she seldom used unless she felt that the winter weather in London was appropriate for her magical windows. Next to the fireplace were two very large and comfortable chairs. The remaining wall space was covered with book shelves and pictures of her family, the Weasley's, and Harry as well. The room was themed her two very favorite colors- red and gold.

Hermione set down her briefcase on her desk and plopped into her desk chair, immediately sorting through the papers that had accumulated on her desk since last night.

Reports of abuse, complaints, reports of suspicious sightings, complaints, reports of...

Hermione stopped short, lifting up the parchment in front of her.

It was a clipping from the morning post. Ironically enough, she woke up late this morning and hadn't the time to read it with her breakfast like she normally did.

**MODERN DAY ROBIN HOOD?  
Reports of thievery are spreading like wildfire, while the missing objects seem to be turning up- with house elves? The thief seems to have been 'collecting' stolen clothes and handing them out to house elves! Not only that, officials declare that this culprit doesn't stop there.  
Hippogriffs, griffins, unicorns, dragons, phoenixes, and even the occasional owl are being set loose from people's houses! These aren't random people whose houses are being infiltrated and rid of their creatures. The only houses that these strange happenings are taking place at are ones that have had a history with the Department of Cruel Treatments, led by Hermione Granger. Rumors if her hiring a hit man are spreading as fast as the thievery.  
The stealing continues to grocery stores, which is believed to be done by the same man. All those creatures need feeding, right? Is this Modern Day Robin Hood's stealing from the vicious and giving to the victims of cruelty a good thing? Could Ms. Granger be behind all of this hullabaloo? Wait until next time to find out!**

"What the bloody hell?!" Screamed Hermione after she regained control of her mouth, which had been gaping for quite some time.

Hermione stood, grabbed her wand and tapped her neck with it. Her voice echoed through the floor. "Clarissa, come here immediately!"

Clarissa, Hermione's secretary, stepped through her door a moment later holding a file stuffed with papers. "I assume you read the paper?" She said with a slight smile on her freckled face. Clarissa was short and a bit plump, but not enough to steal away her attractiveness. Her darkish-blonde hair was up in a tight bun, and her brown eyes were playful. Her and Hermione were quite the opposite. Hermione had a long and slender but curvy frame, and long chestnut hair that she typically pulled back into a ponytail, save the unruly bits that framed her face. Of course her hair was still frizzy, but she usually cast a few spells on it to make it more presentable for work.

"I most certainly have!" Hermione said sternly, tapping her high heel clad foot, making her frustration apparent. "What else is known of this 'Modern Day Robin Hood'?" She demanded.

Clarissa laid out the file and pointed out the various suspects. "I began researching it the moment I came in this morning," She held up a blurry picture of the culprit, who was unmistakably male. "None of the evidence is conclusive though," Clarissa admitted. "He is very good."  
Hermione nodded. "I can't help but admire his efforts. Once my name is cleared, perhaps our department will receive more support?"

"Perhaps." Agreed Clarissa.

"But for the time being, this is _not_ the publicity our department needs."

After a very long session of questioning, Hermione was handed her wand and was free to leave. When she exited the questioning room, Harry, Ron, and Ginny were waiting for her. She smiled and hugged them, thankful that Ron had seemingly forgotten their little spat earlier.

"Their findings regarding my involvement are inconclusive." Hermione said grumpily. "They can't be sure of my involvement until the culprit is caught."  
The trio of friends gasped and shook their heads while each saying fair share of 'I'm sorry' and 'that's horrible'. Hermione nodded. "I can't leave town until they find who is doing this." The chorus of sympathy repeated.

Hermione nodded again. Not one for sympathy, Hermione mumbled her farewells and said she had somewhere to be. Glancing at her watch, she realized it was nearly time for supper.

_They wasted my whole damn day to tell me that their findings were inconclusive!_ She thought angrily.

She left the Ministry, fully aware she had loads of paperwork waiting for her on her desk. She elected to take a walk instead.

"Fuck paperwork, fuck Robin Hood, fuck my job, fuck my life..." Hermione grumbled while marching down the street of muggle London. It was beautiful this time of year, but it was doing very little to lighten her mood.

"Whoa Granger, I didn't know you had a potty mouth on you." A silky voice said behind her. Oh no, she thought. She knew that voice. It slithered down her spine, making her body shiver slightly. She hadn't seen or heard of him since the trial...

"Malfoy." Hermione said curtly. "To what to I owe this pleasure?"  
He smirked. Damn him and that smirk! She felt her knees wobble slightly. His appearances had changed minutely since the trial, he was still pale, still platinum blonde, still gorgeous. "Is that any way to greet and old friend?" He said, while looking her up and down, his stormy gray orbs seeming to caress her.

Why is he looking at me like that? "Merlin's beard, Malfoy, we are almost 21 years old, you can cut the crap."Her competitive side kicked in and she decided that if he can look at her, she can look at him. She drank in the sight of his toned body showing through his robes and his expensive shoes. Would it be inappropriate to drool?

His smirked widened and for a fleeting moment she became worried that he could read her thoughts, before she mentally kicked herself and realized that he was the best at Legilimency in their year.

She gulped and without thinking licked her lips. His smirk faltered and his eyes darkened in response.

The moment was ruined when a double decker bus sped by, effectively splashing both of them. Hermione screamed and jumped back, breaking the heel of one of her shoes. Draco's white shirt was soaked through.

They gaped at each other for a moment before exploding into fits of laughter.

Through her tears Hermione could make out Draco's toned chest peaking through the thin material of his white shirt. Her laughing died down quickly, from her throat turning drier than the Sahara desert.

_If his shirt looks like that, then my shirt must... _She looked down and yelped, covering herself immediately. Why did she have to wear a white shirt today?!  
Draco laughed even harder, his face turning red. Hermione chuckled slightly too. _Draco can laugh?_

"Since when are you capable of laughter, Malfoy?" Hermione asked sarcastically.

"Since... That!" He motioned to Hermione wrapping her coat around herself tightly. She looked down and giggled.

It was nice; forgetting her troubles. She hadn't had that in a while. Her heart spoke before her brain could register what she was doing. (Her mind was a bit foggy considering he still hadn't covered his chest yet).

"We should do lunch sometime."

"Yeah... Yeah, we should."

Hermione had been cringing, waiting for his response and was a bit surprised he said yes. "Really?"

"Definitely." He looked at his watch. "I really must be going, is there a way I can contact you?"

"Yeah! Just send me an owl through the Ministry." She kicked herself mentally, for the second time in ten minutes! She really _really_ didn't want to tell him her Department. _What if he thinks I'm Robin Hood?_

He raised his eyebrows. "The Ministry?" He nodded and smirked. "I wouldn't expect any less. Which department?"

"The Department of Cruel Treatments." She admitted meekly.  
His eyebrows climbed further, and an unreadable emotion flashed across his face. "That sounds like it suits you well, with your little house elf obsession back in school." Hermione was quite relieved he didn't laugh, but she was curious as to why he didn't know, seeing that it was so publicly displayed previously that day.

"I figured everyone in the wizarding world would have known which department I was in, with that Robin Hood rubbish going around." She added nonchalantly. His ears perked at the name Robin Hood. "Ah, yes, well I seemed to have skipped the paper this morning!" He admitted, suddenly very fidgety. Hermione immediately felt bad. _He must have been trying to avoid the subject, it's not everyday someone's accused of a crime._

"I'll be sure to owl you, Granger." He waved and backed away, while she watched him until her view was obscured.

_What am I getting myself into?_ she thought lamely, while her childhood crush ignited again and crashed through her body like a tidal wave. _Fuck._


End file.
